Earlier this year Abvio previewed its 5.0 version of its trio of iPhone apps, which included a Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter. Now the developer has announced the 6.0 version that includes advanced support of the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ system. These three GPS fitness apps deliver the power of an expensive bike computer or GPS watch to a user’s iPhone by tracking workouts with a host of features designed to help you improve performance and fitness.
Post workout, users can utilize the social sharing features, which include support for Twitter, Facebook and dailymile.com. This functionality can provide extra motivation with a fun twist: where your friends, family and coaches can reply to your posts on these social sites, their replies are then spoken using text-to-speech technology during your workout.
Leading the list of new features in version 6.0 is advanced support for the ANT+ system from Wahoo Fitness (purchased separately), which allows an iPhone user to monitor heart rate, cycling speed, and cycling cadence for real-time workout feedback and post-workout analysis. Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter 6.0 also get in gear and go the extra distance while providing a deeper implementation and more precise health data, such as calorie calculations using heart rate and VO2Max, stop detection based on cycling speed sensor data, and split/interval/zone analysis summarizing more than a dozen data items. Further, real-time feedback is supported, with more than 70 possible data items that may be heard, displayed on-screen or shared on social networks.
“We invested nearly a year developing the foundation and features for 6.0 and the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ system,” said Abvio’s CEO Steve Kusmer. “With the evolution of the iPhone platform and the impending release of iOS 5, this is a very exciting time for us. We are driven to create innovative, reliable and easy-to-use applications that far exceed the capabilities of bike computers and GPS watches that cost hundreds of dollars. This supports our mission to help our customers become healthier and live longer.”
Version 6.0 of the new apps further includes new features designed to help users take their runs, rides and hikes to the next level with more data, analysis and customization of workouts. Features include Interval Training, which is a proven training technique to improve fitness, where intervals can be based on time, distance, reaching a specific location or may be advanced using a Lap button. Voice prompts for each interval can be customized to any specific command, while intervals can have targets set, and each interval and its summary statistics are noted on a Google Map and in workout reports. Additionally, walkers can use Interval Training to help make the shift to running by using simple run/walk intervals.
Target Alerts can also be set per interval or over the whole activity to provide real-time feedback of heart rate, speed, pace and cycling cadence, while users who are outside of their target range are motivated by a feedback announcement telling them to “increase speed” or “decrease heart rate” along with current statistics. Additionally, Zones can be used to analyze post-workout performance by using summarizing ranges for heart rate, speed, pace and cycling cadence. Zones are completely configurable to any range and can be applied to any workout, both during and after. Users can tap the new Lap Button at any point during a workout to record all of the data up to that point as an interval while summarizing a dozen different statistics such as time and distance covered, average pace, fastest pace and maximal heart rate. The Lap button also records a marker on the workout map.
Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter 6.0 are all built from the same foundation, and come preconfigured for running, cycling and walking, respectively. Each app supports all features and activities. All three are available now from the Apple iTunes App Store for $4.99 (US). These could raise the (meter) bar on fitness apps.